A hijacked plane that was flown to Spain’s Canary Islands from Mauritania was raided by security forces and a suspect arrested, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Some 20 migrants drowned when their boat cracked on the high seas during a dangerous voyage to Spain’s Canary Islands, survivors told police today.

More than 1,000 Africans have died over the past four months while trying to sail in small boats from Mauritania to Spain’s Canary Islands, a Mauritanian aid official said today.